


If You Love Something

by blueboxesandtrafficcones



Series: Fic Prompts - Broadchurch [1]
Category: Broadchurch
Genre: F/M, Reunion Sex, Valentine's Day smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-01 09:17:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13995165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueboxesandtrafficcones/pseuds/blueboxesandtrafficcones
Summary: let it go.  If it comes back, it’s yours.Ellie does the letting go and the coming back.  Hardy waits patiently for her to get her sh*t together.





	If You Love Something

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a prompt - the 22 Super Sappy Prompt List that was going around. #9 - 'I missed you so much'.

Trying to work up the nerve to knock she changed her mind half a dozen times, pacing his small patio until she ended up on his deck chair with her head in her hands.

“El- Miller?”

She slowly looked up to see Hardy standing in front of her, concerned.  The sight of his caring face was enough to break the dam and she burst into tears, finally letting her emotions go.

“Ellie,” he sighed, crouching in front of her and resting his hand on her shoulder; the kind gesture only made her sob harder as she leaned into his touch.  He moved around to sit on the chair beside her, wrapping her in his arms.

“I'm sorry,” she sniffled, calming after several minutes.

“It's okay,” he said soothingly, rubbing her shoulder.

“It's not, actually.”  She stared off into the distance, unable to take the resigned, understanding look on his face. “I got scared, and overreacted, and that wasn't fair to you.”

“Your kids come first,” Hardy shrugged.  “I get it.”

“At least one of us does,” she scoffed, swiping at her eyes.

He pressed a kiss to her temple but didn't reply, content to have her close once again.

“Can we-” she whispered, and he tensed in anticipation.

“Can we what?”

“Can we try again?  Or am I too late?”  Ellie looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, and he couldn't have denied her if he wanted to.

“I'd like that,” he told her softly, and her eyes widened.

“Really?”

“I'd love it, actually.”  A shy smile spread across his face, the first she'd seen since abruptly slamming the brakes on their burgeoning romance three weeks before.

“Kiss me,” she requested, and he acquiesced, just a short, light press of lips that sent happiness bubbling through her.

“Are you sure?” he asked, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. “Because I don't think I could take it if you changed your mind again.”

Ellie stood, offering him her hand. “I'm sure. Take me to bed.”

Rising himself he pulled her to him, laying a rather more passionate kiss on her as he began to back her towards the door.

-

Hardy led her directly to his bedroom, but rather than laying her down they stood by the bed simply kissing for long minutes, delighting in being in each other’s arms again.

“I am sorry,” Ellie murmured, running her hands over his back.  “It’s just- the look on Tom’s face… he was so stunned, and he reacted badly, then _I_ reacted badly…”

“Shhh,” he brushed his lips across her face.  “Did he come around?”

She nodded, lip trembling.  “Weeks ago- couple days after, after-”

“Then that’s what matters,” he dismissed, rubbing his nose through her hair above her ear.

“But-”

“But nothing,” he interrupted, tightening his arms around her.  “So long as you’re happy as we are, and the children have no strenuous objections – well, what’s the harm?”

“All right,” she relented, before grinning up at him.  “You’re taking so long to get this started, I’m wondering if you’ve got something to hide.”

Hardy rolled his eyes at her, sighing heavily.  “Typical.  A bloke tries to be decent, and take his time, and he gets criticized for it.  Bet if I’d tried to move faster you’d’ve complained about that too.”

“Guess you’ll never know,” she shrugged, and he was struck by how much _lighter_ she was, compared to when they’d left the nick that afternoon.

He kissed her again, refamiliarizing himself with her taste as they swayed together in the stillness.

As he’d learned the day they met and every day since, Ellie Miller was not one to be a passive participant.  She nipped at his lips, hands wandering his body before settling on his shirt buttons, deftly undoing them before pushing the garment over his shoulders.

“What’s the rush,” he murmured against her lips, hands going for her trouser clasp.

“Been too long,” she whispered in reply, arching her chest against his.  “You can seduce me another time.”

“Fair enough.”

They stripped each other with practical efficiency, and soon she was on her back, cradling him between her thighs as they kissed deeply, savoring the moment.  Hardy was content to let her lead the pace, and it wasn’t long before she reached between them for him, guiding him inside to a warm welcome.

Once joined they both paused, letting out pleased sighs as he began to move against her.  He’d just settled into a slow and steady rhythm when she somehow managed to flip them; one second he was above her, the next he was flat on his back, watching in the moonlight as she straddled him, setting her own pace.

“I’m not going to break you know,” Ellie panted, twisting and rocking her hips, lifting up only to once again impale herself on him.

“Not worried about you,” he deadpanned, and she froze.

“Your heart?”

She looked so worried, bringing her hands to tentatively rest near the fragile organ.

“Not exactly.  Just… it’s been a while, you know?”  He smiled sheepishly, and she lightly whacked his chest.

“Don’t do that!  I thought you were going to, I dunno, keel over or something.  And I’d have to report it!  Can you imagine that conversation? ‘Detective Miller, it’s gone midnight, what do you want?’  ‘Sorry to bother you Chief, but I killed Detective Hardy.’  ‘Oh?  What happened?  Please say you shot him, then the pot’s mine.’  ‘Pot?  What pot?  No it was an accident.  I shagged him to death.’  ‘Oh dear, Ellie, that’s awful.  Who was on top?  Katie and Brian need to know, it determines who won.’  Honestly!”

Completely missing the point, Hardy peered up at her.  “There’s a bet on how you kill me?”

“Hardy!”

He thought she looked rather spectacular naked on top of him, arms crossed beneath her breasts and scowling down at him.  She didn’t miss the way he throbbed inside her, and a slowly raised eyebrow was her only response.

“Look, Mil- Ellie, I don’t care what anyone at the station thinks.  We know the truth, and if there’s any fall out we’ll deal with it.  And I’m healthy enough for sex, I promise.  There’s a very unlikely chance I’ll kick the bucket because of it.”

When she continued to give him that doe-eyed look, he sighed in exasperation.  “What?”

“I missed you so much.”  Whatever he’d been expecting, it hadn’t been that.

“What?”

“I missed you.  So much.  I don’t think I’d realized how much you- how close we are, until we went back to strictly professional.  This scares me, so much, but not as much as going back to colleagues.”

Hardy sighed, sitting up and gripping her hips to keep her steady upon him.  “I don’t want to go back to that either.  I… like where this is going.”

Ellie snorted, wiping at the tears that had gathered.  “Of course you think that, I’ve got your cock inside me.”

He scoffed.  “If you honestly believe that, maybe you don’t know me as well as I think you do.  I don’t let people in, Miller, I want nothing to do with them.  You’re different.  Always have been.”

“So, we’re going to try this?  A real relationship?”

“Yes,” Hardy said firmly.  “And it’s going to look a lot like our current relationship, with sleepovers and occasional dinners at nice restaurants.  Alone.”

“I’d like that,” she admitted, rubbing her hands along his shoulders and biceps.

“Me too.”

They stared at each for a moment, each surprised at the sense of relief they felt having it in the open between them.

“Hardy?”

“Yes, Miller?”

“Can I fuck you now?”

He laughed, laying back down and moving his hands to her thighs.  “D’you know it’s after midnight?”

“So?”  She began to rock slowly against him, enjoying the feeling of being full after so long without.

“That makes it the fourteenth.”

Pausing momentarily, she blinked.  “Valentine’s Day.”

“Yep.”

“Well,” Ellie considered, “considering you’re already getting your Valentine’s shag, you are _definitely_ buying breakfast.  And lunch.  And dinner.”

“You saying all I ever had to do to get you in my bed was buy you food?” he laughed, and she clenched around him.

“Aye.”

“Miller I’ll buy you any meal you want you keep doing that,” he promised, and she laughed.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Hardy.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Miller.”


End file.
